Sunday, March 20

Worship begins with a Palm Parade, led by our children and youth. We will reflect on Christ’s "triumphal entrance" into Jerusalem, his prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the symbolism and mystery of Holy Week.

In addition, the Sanctuary Choir and guest violinist, Annie Loud, will lead us from the joyful shouts of Hosanna! into the introspective and redemptive days of Holy Week as we approach Easter and the resurrection. Please join us!

This Week

Christian Mystics: Tour Guides for your Spiritual Journey

Sunday, March 20

Join Rob Peters on Sunday, March 20 at 11:00 am in Room 8 as he leads an introduction to famous Christian Mystics. This week's class will explore the great German mystic Meister Eckert and his four-fold elements of the spiritual journey. “The Cloud of Unknowing,” a spiritual guide by an unknown English mystic, will be our second guide. These two are dramatically different from those presented so far, so please feel free to join us, even if you haven’t attended before. This is a popular class, so please sign up with
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Monday Morning Bible Study

Monday, March 21

From The Great Courses, Professor Gary A. Rendsburg focuses on the book of Genesis. This course of 24 lectures allows for numerous avenues of inquiry. Discussions are led by Richard Davidson. Please join us at 10:00 am in Room 8 on Monday mornings.

Maundy Thursday Supper (6:00 pm) and Service (7:30 pm)

Thursday, March 24

We are honored to welcome Michael Joseph to our pulpit on Maundy Thursday. Michael is a UCC missionary in Colombia, where he works with our Central Atlantic Conference partners in the Evangelical Council of Colombia (a.k.a. CEDECOL). He leads the Prophetic Call Human Rights Documentation Program of CEDECOL's Peace Commission. As part of that work, Michael provides critical pastoral presence to clergy and lay leaders who are living in life-threatening situations. Decades of violent conflict have decimated Colombia, and church workers like Michael face the Herculean task of proclaiming God's peace in a nation devastated by civil war. Michael is a member of First Congregational UCC in Washington, D.C., a church whose commitment to social justice led to the creation of Howard University in 1867 (and Little River UCC in 1955!). Please join us for a light soup supper in our Social Hall starting at 6:00 pm, followed by worship at 7:30 pm.

Good Friday Worship Service (7:30 pm)

Friday, March 25

The traditional service of candles and darkness will begin at 7:30 pm. We will share in an experience of the three days of self-exploration leading towards Easter. Music, Meditation, Communion, Scripture and the Extinguishing of the Lights.

Next Week

Easter Worship Services (6:45, 9:30 & 11:00am)

Sunday, March 27

Sunrise Service at the Cross begins at 6:45 am with a service of Baptismal renewal and Communion followed by an Easter breakfast with hot cross buns and Easter eggs.

At 9:30 & 11:00 am a Service of Resurrection led by the Sanctuary Choir and Brass Ensemble will call us to rejoice with the brass and tympani as we exclaim, Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed!

The Sanctuary and Joyful Noise choirs combine forces to lead the service in music and song with the trumpets, trombones, and the full organ. From the prelude to glorious, familiar hymns and to the grand anthems, the music reflects Christ’s triumph over the grave and our redemption by his love.

As a part of the 9:30 am service, an Easter Time with Children will be offered, with an Easter egg hunt following for all children.

Easter Egg Hunt

Sunday, March 27

Easter egg hunts celebrate the joy of finding something new on Easter morning. The Board of Christian Education invites children, grades 5 and younger, to an egg hunt following 9:30 worship on Easter Sunday. Families are asked to meet in the atrium after worship to divide children by age groups. The hunt will take place in and around the outdoor playground.

Easter Offering - Stop Hunger Now

Sunday, March 27

On Easter Sunday, a special Easter Fund offering will be received on behalf of our fifth annual STOP Hunger Now event, to take place in September 2016.

The Board of Outreach and Social Justice (BOSJ) asks for your support of this offering, which enables the purchase of meals we can pack for persons in need. Our meal packing event in September 2015 produced 20,000 meals to send to those in need. Every meal costs just 29 cents, and we hope to pack up to 20,000 meals again this year. To support the offering, please designate "Easter Fund" on the memo line of your check or include your contribution in the special Easter offering envelopes, writing "Easter Fund" on the outside.

Thank you for your tremendous support in 2015. BOSJ looks forward to helping our congregation be a blessing to those in need again in September.

Little River UCC Meditation Group Meeting

Sunday, March 27

It has been said that prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening to God. Are you seeking to add a contemplative element to your spiritual practice? Please join us next Sunday at 11:00 am in Room 8 as we explore Meditation as a contemplative practice that helps to quiet the mind. We will have a brief guided meditation followed by sharing about the experience. Please contact
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if you have any questions.

Office Closed

Monday, March 28

The church office will be closed on the Monday after Easter. We will resume our regular schedule on Tuesday, March 29.

First Friday: Our Earth Home

Friday, April 1

Join us for the last First Friday of Spring 2016 on April 1 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.! We’ll share in a little bit of Earth care, and a whole lot of fun as we discover how to be health-makers and Earth-keepers. The children will enjoy dinner, games, and crafts while you enjoy a little free time. The cost is $15 per child, with a family maximum of $30. Registration forms are available at http://bit.ly/lruccfirstfriday. If you’ve already completed a registration form for the 2015/2016 program year, please email
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to let us know your child(ren) will be attending before March 27.

First Friday is a kids' night out program designed to give parents an evening to themselves. Volunteers provide creative and exciting entertainment for the children in a safe and fun atmosphere at the church. First Friday is for children aged six months through 12 years. All children in our community are welcome, whether or not their families attend Little River UCC, so spread the word and make your plans!

Save the Date

Opportunity for Action: Information Presented on Lifelines to Solitary

Sundays, April 3 & 10

On any given day, tens of thousands of incarcerated people live in solitary confinement in prisons and jails across the United States, spending 22 to 24 hours a day locked in closet-sized cells, without human contact, and often without work, educational opportunities, or distractions. This prolonged isolation has been shown to cause lasting damage to mental health in many cases, creates greater difficulty reintegrating in society and higher rates of recidivism once individuals are released from incarceration.

Interfaith Action for Human Rights (IAHR), a human rights organization that works to minimize isolated confinement in Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., is partnering with Solitary Watch, a national group that investigates and reports on the use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons, to launch a prison correspondence program called Lifelines to Solitary with communities of faith in our area. The project aims to ease some of the effects of isolated confinement by connecting those held in solitary with people in the world outside prison, believing "this communication has the potential to transform the lives not only of the individuals in solitary, but of those on the outside who bear witness to their suffering."

Gay Gardner, member of Little River UCC and board member of IAHR, will be in the narthex between services on April 3 and April 10 to provide more information about this program. She will have handouts and a sign up sheet for those interested in attending a Solitary Watch orientation later in the month. You may also
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for more details.

Little River UCC Meditation Group Meeting

Sunday, April 3

It has been said that prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening to God. Are you seeking to add a contemplative element to your spiritual practice? Please join us at 11:00 am in Room 8 as we explore Meditation as a contemplative practice that helps to quiet the mind. We will have a brief guided meditation followed by sharing about the experience. Please contact
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if you have any questions.

Intersections: Sacred Conversations on Race

Sunday, April 10

We are a congregation founded and grounded in affirming all people regardless of race and ethnicity. To deepen the Sacred Conversation on Race and learn how race intersects with many justice issues, we will gather on Sunday, April 10 at 11:00 am in Room 8 for prayer and thought on the continuing issues of racism.

Faith in Film: Tapped

Sunday, April 10

From the moment the water crisis in Flint, MI came to our nation’s attention, our congregation has been in prayer for the people and seeking ways to personally respond to the crisis. One of the first things needed by the residents of Flint was clean, potable water. And the easiest way to support them, delivered bottled water, is not a problem-free solution.

Tapped: recounts what happens when the most necessary resource on earth, water, becomes a commodity.

Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce? Stephanie Soechtig’s debut feature is an unflinching examination of the big business of bottled water. From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities which were the unwitting chips on the table. A powerful portrait of the lives affected by the bottled water industry, this revelatory film features those caught at the intersection of big business and the public’s right to water.

We will gather at 12:15 for lunch in Room 8, and begin our viewing at 12:20. A light lunch will be provided, and you are encouraged to bring a dish to pass. The movie will last 76 minutes, with discussion following.

Christian Mystics: Tour Guides for your Spiritual Journey

Sunday, April 10

Join Rob Peters on Sunday, April 10 at 11:00 am in Room 8 as he leads an introduction to famous Christian Mystics. This week's class will explore Catherine of Sienna and Teresa of Avila. This is a popular class, so please sign up with
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so that sufficient resources are provided.

Guest Preacher: Dan Romero

Sunday, April 17

Celebration of Earth Day and Hands-on Mission Project

Sunday, April 24

Join the Board of Outreach and Social Justice in a hands-on project to clean up Mason District Park after worship services from 12:30-4:00 pm. Please sign up here if you are interested in helping.

More Church News

Islam - Knowledge over Fear

Sunday, April 3

The Board of Outreach and Social Justice encourages your participation in the Interfaith Communities for Dialogue's event: Islam - Knowledge over Fear. The event takes place at John Calvin Presbyterian Church (Annandale, VA) on Sunday, April 3 from 2:00 -5:00 pm.

Dr. Jonathan Brown, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and Imam Zia Makhdoom, founder of MakeSpace, will present the basic tenets of Islam and provide information to correct misconceptions and myths about the religion. Time will be allotted for a brief participant dialogue followed by a Panel Q & A session.

Living Aging Well Summit 2016

Saturday, April 16

The Board of Outreach and Social Justice encourages your participation in the Fairfax area Living Aging Well Summit on Saturday, April 16 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Fairfax Government Center.

The summit is open to individuals, family members, general community members and industry professionals interested in exploring living and aging well. The seminar features keynote presentations, seminars, exhibitors and more. To learn more and register for this free event, please visit: www.livingwellfairfax.org or call (703) 324-7647. Volunteer opporutnities are available.